Reading for July 10 is Luke 13... My thoughts on this reading... Sometimes there are moments in the gospels that are unique to that particular gospel. It is only Luke who gives us the story of the mixing of blood by Pilate with their sacrifices and the tower that ell in Siloam. He points out two key things... firs that you can't always connect a specific suffering up to a particular sin... sometimes tragedies and sufferings happen that have no direct cause from someone's sin, but are just the impact of living in a fallen and broken world. Secondly, is the need to repent, depending on the Lord. As we hear of the barren fig tree we see that patience is the hallmark of the gardener, who I think best represents the patience that God has toward us! Okay, as I mentioned as we opened up the Gospel of Luke, it is my favorite Gospel, but I just don't understand how I don't remember the account of the woman with a disabling spirit. In particular, as someone who had scoliosis, and has 4 titanium rods and 40 screws in my back to keep it straight, how did I forget this woman who was bent over, and after meeting Jesus is healed and straightened? That is one of the things about the Scriptures... something new can always be discovered. As we hear about the mustard seed and the leaven, we see the kingdom is bigger than anyone expects and spreads much further than one might expect. The way to eternal life is much narrower than one expects. Most of the time, I think people assume that God is being exclusive and isn't open to people being saved when they hear this verse, but we hear elsewhere that is not the case, but that He desires for all to be saved. I think the reason Jesus describes the way is narrow, is because it is only through Him, and not by one's work or efforts that we are saved, but so many choose to go their own way, or try to earn God's favor, rather than resting their faith in Jesus Christ. It's not intentionally narrow in that regard, it is open to all, it's just narrow, because so many reject it. Which leads Jesus to lament of Jerusalem and their reject of the prophets the Lord had sent them, and of course eventually the rejection of Jesus Himself.